-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Rachel Frederickson won season 15 of `` The Biggest Loser '' in February , her new look was met with more criticism than praise .

After shedding 155 pounds , the 24-year-old voiceover artist received backlash from fans who thought she looked unhealthy . Now heavier , Frederickson has penned an essay for Today 's `` 2014 Voices '' section to address the controversy .

Frederickson explains that she moved to Germany at a young age after falling in love with a foreign exchange student . That relationship turned unhealthy , she said , and `` It did n't take long before the voice of a boy I loved started diminishing my self-esteem . His voice told me I was n't enough and I believed it . I started listening to a louder voice than my own , and in turn , I lost the person I loved being . ''

Appearing on the show , she said , was where she `` learned that my voice had to be stronger than everyone else 's . ''

`` From the beginning , no one thought I would make it to the final three and dismissed me as a finalist that could actually win , '' Frederickson said . `` But I was there to get my life back . ''

Some deemed her dramatic transformation from 260 pounds to 105 pounds too drastic , and Frederickson felt the pressure of the disapproval .

`` Comments during the controversial storm following my weight loss were hurtful . My self-esteem once again was affected by other people 's voices -- this time , the kind that live forever in Facebook posts or written in the pages of magazines , '' she wrote . `` People tried to bring me down and -LRB- privately -RRB- succeeded . ''

Frederickson , who has revealed that she gained 20 pounds after the finale , said she is now happy , healthy and in a good place .

`` I found strength in this struggle , '' she said .

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Frederickson lost 155 pounds on the reality show

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Some fans said she was too thin ; she 's now regained 20 pounds

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She says she is now healthy and happy